The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-01-13
An Awful and Fatal Crash of Trains.
BALTIMORE, Jan. 4.-The officials of
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad state

BALTIMORE, Jan. 4.-The officials of
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad state
that collision occurred at two o'clock
this morning between the passenger train
which left Baltimore at nine o'clock yes
terday morning and a freight train COM
ing east. Engineers and 6remen Of both
trains we're killed, and a number of
passengers in the forward car were
injured. The collision occurred at Re-
public, village few miles from Tiffin,
Ohio. The headquarters of that divis.
ion is at Newark, Ohio. The accids ant is
attributed by officials here to a nisun-
derstanding of orders for the regulation
OF one or other of the trains.
T1rF1N, OHIO, Jan. 4.-The fast train
on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at
au early hour this morning collided with
the east bound freight train near this
city, wrecking both trains. Nineteen
bodies have been taken from the wreck.
More are injured. Three coaches de-
stroyed. Physicians have gone to the
scene from here. The weather is very
cold. The thermometer is about twu de-.
grees below zero.
TIrF1N, OHIo.-A fast train OH the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which left
Newark yesterday for Chicago with FIVE
coaches and four sleepers, all we'll filled
with passengers, collided with the east
bound freight seven miles east of this
city about 4 o'clock this morning. The
fast train was about fifty minutes late
and was running at the rate of uixty
miles an hour. Passing Republic, a
small station, like flash, they rushed
along to curve one mile west of that
town, when suddenly the engineer saw a
freight train under full head way within
one hundred yards Of him. He at once
applied brakes and reversed his engine,
but it did no good, and the next instant
the crash came, telescoping the coaches
and piling them upon each other. To
add CONSERVATION to the horrible scene
fire broke out in the smoking car and
soon spread to the other cars. Many
we're killed outright, while others wedged
in among the broken cars were slowly
consumed by the flames. The screams Of
the wounded and dying were heartrend.
ing, but no assistance could be given
until farmer, awakened by the crash,
came, and with other neighbors worked
like beavers to save the perishiug. AT
this writing nineteen dead bodies have
been recovered, and they lie burned and
disfgured in the snow beside the wreck.
Help was sent from Republic and this
city as soon as the news was received. II
is a fearful sight and recalls the Ashtalouls
horror of the winter of 1877. 1t is i'm
possible to give the names of the killed
and wounded at this time. The cause OF
the disaster is as yet unknown.
The passenger was running sixty miles
an hour. The freight eastward bound
had expected to make the siding at Re.
public and was probably making thirty
miles per hour, and running in opposite
directions on the same track caused q
telescope as clean and disastrous as has
ever been witnessed The engines were
run into each other as one stove pipe fits
into its mate and all that could be seen
was mass of brass, iron aud steel. At
an early hour there were hundreds Of
people coming to the scene of the disas.
ter ready and anxious to do what they
could, but it appears that just as soon as
the Baltimore & Ohio agents could get
to the wreck they carried out of the
county the wounded, dying and dead.
It is believed that there were at least %
bodies burned beyond possible recogni.
tion. From the report of survivors it
would appear that a number Of the rn-
fortunates were so thoroughly burned
that their remains could not be gathered
from the debris. Only three survivors
remain at Republic. These are Mrs.
Mary Posthlethwaite and two young
children. Her husband and two SONS,
aged II and 1S, were killed. They were
emigrating from Belton, Wetzel County
w. Va, to Chillicothe, Mo. In some
way, even the mother was unable to
relate how, she got ou, of the car in which
she had been travelling, and wandering
away from the burning train, carrying her
two youngest children in her arms, en-
tered the first house in which she found
light. She was almost crazed and with
difficulty her name was ascertained
Express Messenger, w. Scott Price, OF
Wheeling, w. M. Frederick, of Was h
ing:oD, fireman of the express, and F.
@. Bsrkley, of Washington, were among
the killed. The total number of passen.
gers was 65. The smoker was entirely
consumed and all the passengers in it
were killed. All mail and express mat
ter was destroyed.
Charles P. Toll, Of Detroit, says at 2:l5
this morning he was awakened by being
thrown violently from his berth. TIE
train consisted of express, baggage car,
one coach and two s!eepers. One coach
telcscoped into the baggage car so conf
pletely that the two cars were crushed
into the space of one. The sleepers did
not leave the track. The telescoped CARS
caught fire from the stove and the pas
sengers, living and dead, we're imprisoned
| in the shattered wreck. The engineer
and fireman of the freight train leape1
and saved themselves before the collision,
The engineer of the express, named
Eastman, had leg broken and sustained
a severe wound in the shoulder. His
fireman was caught between the engine